SD / SR · Timeline
Minister or religious worker (green card)
On-site inspections
USCIS may verify the evidence by any means it considers appropriate, up to an on-site inspection of the organization. An inspection may include a tour of the facilities, interviews with officials and a review of records, and may cover the headquarters, satellite locations or your planned work site. If USCIS decides to inspect before approval, satisfactory completion of the inspection is a condition for approval. The employer must give the physical address where you will work, and USCIS may also inspect after deciding the petition to verify your hours, pay and duties.[1,2]
Priority date and the Visa Bulletin
Your priority date is the date USCIS accepts your I-360 for processing. A visa is available when that date is earlier than the cut-off date for your category and country of chargeability (usually your country of birth) in the applicable chart of the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin; "C" means current and "U" means visas are temporarily unavailable. Unless USCIS's filing-charts page says otherwise, use the Final Action Dates chart to decide when to file Form I-485. For non-ministers, the State Department also points to the current Visa Bulletin for whether visas are authorized under the program. The chart below shows the current month.[3,4]
Visa Bulletin · EB-4-RW · Oct 2026
Official| Chargeability | Final action date | vs. last month | Date for filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| All countries (incl. Taiwan) | — | — | Jan 1, 2025 |
| China (mainland-born) | — | — | Jan 1, 2025 |
| India | — | — | Jan 1, 2025 |
| Mexico | — | — | Jan 1, 2025 |
| Philippines | — | — | Jan 1, 2025 |
USCIS accepts the Date for filing chart for employment-based I-485 filing in Oct 2026.
Source: USCIS — When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application: October 2026 (USCIS's copy of the Visa Bulletin chart it designated) · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
This information is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not predict the outcome of any individual case.
Sources
- 1.8 CFR 204.5 - Petitions for employment-based immigrantseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
- 2.Special Immigrant Religious Workers - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
- 3.Visa Availability and Priority DatesUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Sep 27, 2026
- 4.9 FAM 502.5 SPECIAL IMMIGRANTSU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026